Bukayo Saka is the only Arsenal survivor from Mikel Arteta's first game and played in an unusual position

Mikel Arteta has taken Arsenal from mid-table mediocrity to Premier League title contenders since taking charge five years ago.

The Spanish took charge of the gunners in December 2019, with the North Londoners languishing in the bottom half of the table.

arteta He watched from the Everton stands the day after his appointment, with his first match taking place at Bournemouth on Boxing Day 2019.

Arsenal were in 11th place after their first 18 games, winning just five games and just one victory in their last ten top-flight games.

And unfortunately for the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, he did not get off to a winning start to his Arsenal tenure.

The Gunners escaped with a point at the Vitality Stadium after Pierre-Emerick AubameyangSecond half tie.

In the next five meetings with the Cherries, Arsenal would emerge victorious in each encounter.

That included an almost immediate return to Bournemouth in January 2020 in the fourth round of the FA Cup, which Arsenal would win.

And five years after Arteta's first game in charge, he is taking his team back to the south coast, albeit with a completely new squad.

Of Arteta's first lineup, only Bukayo Saka will be among the 2019 clash matchday team at Saturday's 5:30 p.m. kickoff.

And the England international will play in a different position to the one he had when he first burst onto the scene in the 2019/20 campaign.

Here talkSPORT.com takes a look at how Arsenal started against Bournemouth in Arteta's first game.

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Between the sticks the German goalkeeper Bernd Leno started, who was finally replaced by Aaron Ramsdale.

Coincidentally, Ramsdale started for Bournemouth in a 1-1 draw, before leaving in the summer after failing to unseat David Raya.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles filled the right-back position and, while he impressed in the position, yearned to be a central midfielder, resulting in his departure to Lyon in 2023 after three loan spells.

Then a centre-back pairing consisted of David Luiz and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, with both leaving the Emirates as free agents in 2021.

And what may seem ridiculous today, Saka was deployed at left back, where he predominantly played that season, failing to get ahead of Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe and even Reiss Nelson at times in the wing positions.

Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira played against Bournemouth in a double pivot role.

While Torreira quickly fell down the pecking order, Xhaka remained a permanent resident in Arteta's XI until his £21m move to Bayer Leverkusen in 2023.

Mesut Ozil then took up the number 10 role, but like many of Arteta's first line-up, he was soon sacked.

Frozen out by his former team-mate, he was allowed to leave on a free transfer in January 2021, having been excluded from Arsenal's Premier League and Europa League squads.

Instead of Saka on the right wing, it was Nelson who started against Bournemouth.

While still on Arsenal's books, he was allowed to join Fulham on loan on deadline day, having been limited to a peripheral role under Arteta.

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On the opposite flank was then-captain Aubameyang, who was Arsenal's main man before his falling out with Arteta.

after being stripped of the captaincy in December 2021, his contract was finalized in the winter transfer window of 2022.

Alexandre Lacazette led the Arsenal line against Bournemouth, and until his release in 2022.

While ten of Arsenal's 2019 Boxing Day XI were allowed to move on, so were each of the seven substitutes.

Again, all those Arteta deemed surplus to requirements, Emiliano Martinez, Shkodran Mustafi, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Joe Willock, Matteo Guendouzi, Nicolas Pepe and Emile Smith Rowe were sold or released.

Arsenal may have been a laughingstock five years ago at Bournemouth, but no one doubts it now.

Victory at Bournemouth will send them to the top of the table, and you wouldn't be surprised if they finish top of the table in May.

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